England and Iberia Day 2

Heathrow to Bankside, and 20,000 steps on no sleep

Posted by Brian Hart on July 30, 2026 · 10 mins read
  • Start of day: Somewhere over the Atlantic
  • End of day: London, England

We landed from our flight that took off on July 29.

Delta seatback entertainment screen photographed from a darkened aircraft cabin, showing the My Flight page with an illustration of a Delta jet against a sunset sky, a distance of 4377 miles, an estimated arrival of 7 hours 47 minutes, and a red 'Track Your Flight' button. Overhead cabin lighting and the curved blue seatback of the row ahead are visible above the screen

Once we hit Heathrow, clearing customs and immigration was easy and automatic. We waited maybe one minute. There are automated gates that scan your passport and send you on your way. I assume it would’ve been more of a production had we not applied for and received our travel authorisations beforehand.

Selfie in a London Heathrow Airport corridor after landing, wearing a navy and white striped polo, standing beneath a yellow overhead sign reading 'Arrivals Baggage reclaim' with an up arrow and a purple sign for flight connections. A long empty white-walled walkway with a no-smoking notice and a red fire alarm point stretches into the background

From Heathrow we opted to take the train into central London. The signage getting over to the Elizabeth line was great! It’s a little twisty/turny, narrow in places, all clearly marked. We rode Elizabeth line to Farringdon, about half an hour, intending to connect to Thameslink. Once you’re actually at Farringdon there are a few Thameslink signs at the beginning, unfortunately not where they matter. We managed to figure it out. After a red-eye with no sleep I wasn’t in the mood for wrong trains.

Overhead electronic departure board at Farringdon station showing the first train at 14:17 to Sutton via Wimbledon in 5 minutes, calling at City Thameslink, London Blackfriars, Elephant and Castle, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill, and Tulse Hill, with a note that the train is currently at London St Pancras. Later trains listed include Horsham at 14:19, Brighton via Gatwick Airport at 14:24, and Rainham in Kent at 14:37. A cancelled notice is partly visible on the adjacent screen

A white and blue Thameslink train stopped alongside a platform at Farringdon station, seen from the yellow platform edge line. The station has a curved glass and red steel roof over yellow brick walls with arched windows, and passengers are visible through the train windows with a worker in a hi-vis vest further down the platform

The Thamaeslink segment was only two stops, exiting at Blackfriars and then making a ~10 minute walk to the hotel.

We stayed at the Hilton London Bankside, and the main reason is worth calling out: they sell two connecting rooms as a single reservation, which means you’re guaranteed your connecting rooms rather than the ‘best effort’ style of most hotels.

Empty hotel guest room corridor with pale oak door surrounds and recessed ceiling lighting, receding in one-point perspective toward a distant green exit sign. Room numbers are mounted beside each door and a grey and teal patterned carpet runner runs down the center of the tiled floor

We made it to the hotel and one of the two rooms was ready. We grabbed that key, stashed our stuff, and toured around for an hour to get our bearings. We walked down to the Thames, which was lively, then split up so Sher and Siena could grab a croissant.

Back at the hotel and settled into both rooms, we all went downstairs to the pool. It’s on basement level 2 and looks quite fancy.

Indoor hotel swimming pool on a basement level at the Hilton London Bankside, lit pale blue from underwater lights, with a stainless steel handrail and ladder at the near corner. Wicker loungers and chairs with cream cushions line the right-hand side beneath potted palms, and a backlit vertical slatted wall glows warm at the far end, reflecting on the still water

The room itself is warm and humid, like a Florida summer. Unfortunately, they’ve been very heavy-handed with the chlorine – after only a minute in the hot tub with the jets on our eyes started burning. We wrapped up, made use of the surprisingly nice changing rooms, and changed back in to street clothes to explore more.

The afternoon was exclusively walking and touring. We first walked back down to Waterloo Station to scope out the route for our 8:35am train on Saturday. Adjacent to the station is Graffiti Tunnel, which is worth a look. From there we continued across Westminster Bridge, admiring Big Ben and Parliament – and all the social influencing happening in the vicinity – then onward to Buckingham Palace. It was an unplanned visit; we didn’t try to time it for the changing of the guard or anything else interesting.

We started back toward our neighborhood along Pall Mall and crossed back over on the Golden Jubilee Bridges. Between the Bridges has a number of food and beverage stalls set up and a lively crowd of locals (and new graduates?). Rowan scarfed down a hot dog and fries – “chips” – while Siena ate 10 pancakes. In her defense, they were half-dollar sized and had nutella on them.

By 9pm we were all physically destroyed. Not only had we not slept, we’d each put something like 20,000 steps under our belts. Everyone was passed out by 9:30. I slept ten and a half hours. Sherri was closer to eleven and a half. At home we maybe get six or seven.

A red London Routemaster double-decker bus wrapped in Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour advertising, parked on a tree-lined street. The rear panel reads 'Join us for Afternoon Tea' and features Peppa Pig characters at a tea party, with registration plate JSJ 747. Parked bicycles, a rental bike rack, and modern glass apartment buildings line the background

The Triptych Bankside residential towers seen from street level, with curving white balcony bands wrapping around terracotta and glass facades against a partly cloudy blue sky. At ground level people sit on wooden benches in a landscaped plaza with young trees and planters, and three men in business attire stand talking beside a Triptych information sign near the entrance

Shakespeare's Globe theatre in Bankside, London, a white timber-framed circular building with a thatched roof, photographed from the paved forecourt. Purple and green banners reading 'Shakespeare's Globe' and 'Imagine Together' hang from the facade, and a curved brick wall with a poster for the production 'A World Elsewhere' fronts the steps where visitors are entering. Pedestrians walk across the foreground on a partly cloudy afternoon

Selfie outside the Tate Modern in London, wearing sunglasses and a navy and white striped polo, standing beneath a large orange banner with white lettering reading 'Welcome to Tate Modern' mounted on the gallery's tan brick facade. A man with a black backpack walks past on the left and other visitors queue behind stanchions at the entrance

Inside the Leake Street Arches graffiti tunnel near Waterloo Station, a long curved railway underpass covered floor to ceiling in layered spray-painted murals and tags in bright pinks, blues, and yellows. A large monochrome portrait of a face is painted across the ceiling vault, cartoon characters cover the right-hand wall, and several people walk toward the daylight at the far end past red plastic barriers

The east front of Buckingham Palace photographed from across the empty forecourt on an overcast day, showing the full symmetrical stone facade with its central pediment and the Union Flag flying from the roof. A Royal Collection Trust A-board in the foreground reads 'Buckingham Palace — Scan to find out when you can visit and the top things to do near Buckingham Palace' with a QR code

The BFI Southbank cinema in London tucked beneath the concrete underside of Waterloo Bridge, its frontage lit by a bright magenta illuminated panel with black lettering reading 'Cinema' and 'BFI Southbank'. Potted plants and green planters edge an outdoor seating area where people sit at tables, and pedestrians walk across the paved terrace in the foreground

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